Belfast Half-Marathon
It would be fair to say the Northern Ireland group took the September headlines. They travelled to Belfast to indulge with over 3,000 others in the annual Belfast Half Marathon.
Laura Kent took top honors by completing her first ½m. Laura’s performance is going to be especially memorable as this September 2017 marks the second anniversary of her heart surgery. Her unruffled running was outstanding through the sunny streets of Belfast and it’s not common knowledge that she was a very late replacement for Linda Younger after her tragic trip down Bredon Hill.
But Laura wasn’t alone; Samantha Robinson completed her recovery after her own legendary accident during the summer – where many would never dare don a pair of running trainers again, Samantha was determined to get back on her feet and continue her journey but with Laura by her side for the sunny 13.1 miles. Her praise-worthy effort was matched by her equally brave partner David Aguirre. Dave is more often than not, hampered by niggles and relies on luck to see him through to the finish line without pain. Nonetheless, Dave is a capable runner and never ceases to impress and this time he clocked a PB by taking 2 minutes off his Tewkesbury 1/2m time.
Sheena Moseley completed the Tewkesbury female trio and as always, Sheena makes running look so graceful with her efficient style and momentum. Her run was stand-out as she stripped almost 5 minutes off her PB with 2:08 hour as she crossed the finish line.
Bizarrely though, it was at the start line where the excitement started. For some unknown reason the above four Tewkesbury runners were “rather confused” as they found themselves toe to toe with the elite Kenyans et al near the front row – appears they thought they were heading to the back of the start crowd but in fact, it was the front!
Anyway, it took Michael Younger a few miles to catch and past his club mates. Although, still coming back from injury and a little short on training, Mike ran a respectable 1:50 hr. Mike admits it was a “struggle” and with Dave following just 31 seconds behind, he had to stretch himself.
With Mike’s 1:50:04, Dave’s 1:50:35, Sheena’s 2:08 and Laura & Sam with 2:26 hr, there was just cause to indulge in the Belfast hospitality for the next 48 hrs. Supporting travelers Linda Younger and Paul Moseley didn’t let the side down and both had a skin full too.
